Hakkâri (also called Julemerg) is a city and capital of the Hakkâri province in the Turkish region of Kurdistan. The city is located roughly 200 km southeast of Van, another Kurdish city, and is located in the southeastern most corner of Turkey, close to the borders with Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan. In 2012, the population of Hakkâri was measured at 272,000.
Hakkâri is known for its history of agriculture, and its name is derived from a word that means “farmers.” The city and surrounding region are well-known for its dramatic landscape, which includes snow-capped mountains and large glaciers. The city of Hakkâri sits at an elevation of 1700 meters, and the surrounding peaks reach over 4000 meters.
Hakkâri Kurgan Stelae
Hakkâri is well known for 13 stelae, or carefully cut stone figures, that were found in 1998, buried in the center of the city. These types of stelae had never been previously discovered in Eastern Anatolia, and were dated back to the fifteenth century BC, leading anthropologists and archeologists to question their origins.
Hakkâri and the Assyrian Genocide
The area was home to a large number of deaths during the Assyrian Genocide. Estimates put the death toll around 20-30 thousand killed by the Ottoman Army. Many were marched out of Turkey and into Iraq, where they settled in traditional Kurdish areas.
Hakkâri is also the name of a province, and a historical mountain region that spanned from Lake Van to Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan. The region is also known for its lead mining, which was used in the early 20th century to make bullets.
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